chapters inaction
Voices of History
Some MOAA chapters have established a Veterans in the Classroom program, which allows members to educate local children about the military and what it means to be a veteran.
On the road: This month, Vice Adm. Norbert R. Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., MOAA president, will visit members of the New Jersey Lakes and Pines Chapter. Go to MOAA Calendar, page 80, for the dates.
The number of veterans in the U.S. is in a steady decline with the passing of members of the “greatest generation.” And with the reality of a smaller military force — which continues to get even smaller because of troop reductions — there’s a danger of missing out on the experiences and wisdom of so many members of the military who stepped up in the past to defend this nation. Nowadays, less than 1 percent of the country’s citizens carry that burden — and the other 99 percent of Americans are not being asked to sacrifice one bit. What we don’t want to happen is an inadvertent disconnect between the military and the rest of the country.
MOAA’s chapters and chapter members are making an effort to help young people understand what it means to serve in the military, beyond what these children learn from textbooks. What many Americans take for granted — their freedoms — might not be evident to today’s youth. They might not have a clear idea about what the people who lived before them sacrificed for their country and for them because of their service in the military.
This department’s main article, “Veterans’ Stories,” examines three MOAA affiliates that participate in the Veterans in the Classroom program in various parts of the country. Veterans, of course, are a part of every community, but fewer people than you might think know much about them. This especially holds true for students in elementary, intermediate, and high schools across the U.S.
MOAA chapter members have some incredible stories of service and sacrifice to share, and the students they visit are interested. Their fascination and questions show the visiting veterans how much these students appreciate hearing firsthand what it is like to be a veteran. Chapter members get great satisfaction out of trying to impart some sense of what it means to serve, but it’s not only about that. It’s also a chance to help students learn by putting the faces and personal stories of veterans with the wartime stories they’ve only read about in history books.
There is considerable pent-up demand out there for this kind of program. What our chapter members are finding is once you get one school involved and the school’s administrators see how much students get out of it, the demand escalates from there. Find out how you can be a part of it by visiting your local chapter today.
— Col. Lee Lange II, USMC-Ret. Director, Council and Chapter Affairs
Veterans’ Stories
Members teach students about military service.
Col. Joseph Surico, USAF-Ret., gave many briefings during his 27-year career in the military. But this briefing was different. Surico was at Heights Elementary School in Fort Myers, Fla., to address fifth graders in Charles Hassen’s class as part of the Calusa (Fla.) Chapter’s Veterans in the Classroom program. Through the program, chapter members travel to area classrooms to teach children about the military and what it means to be a veteran.
Surico wore his Air Force uniform for the presentation and brought several props with him, including a 50-pound flak jacket and service medals and ribbons he received. Several children struggled to lift and try on the flak jacket.
46 MILITARY OFFICER APRIL 2012
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